After the catamaran we wanted to see the other side of Seychelles vacationing so we booked two different places, one on Praslin and one on Mahe.

We found Praslin to be more laid back with no real cities and just a few small towns.  Our place, La Modieste Villa was a bit rustic but the location was pretty good, with great restaurants, a craft place and several small grocery stores nearby.  As we were self catering we had to shop at these stores and it reminded me of the Bahamas, where you have to check each store to see which of them has the item you are looking for.  After a few days we were already starting to know which stores had what and for some things at what price.  Most of the food is imported and generally on the expensive side.

Our inn had tortoises in a muddy pen in the yard. They would “fight” for the food in slo-mo.

These spiders were everywhere and a little scary.  They were at least 75mm (3in) across.  The webs were easily 1m (3 feet) square.

The beaches on Seychelles are amazing, especially on Praslin!  The first one we went to was called Anse Georgette, and to get there you must walk from the main road through a resort and down the cart path for about one hole of a golf course.  This includes a large hill which almost had the crew turning back.  We had at least two people drive up and warn us about currents in the water, but the surf was big enough to keep us close to shore.  The boys had a great time in the waves and we met a couple with two daughters from Zimbabwe who invited us to visit their place on Christmas Day.

Be careful…

We had at least one chill day on Praslin where we played Agricola, Lego and watched a few movies.  We also drove nearly every road on the island which was interesting because they have right hand (the wrong side) drive there.  We had one grey day which was perfect to drive across the island to Anse Lazio which was huge, but the crew was in a morale pit so we packed up and went home.  It seems like every trip we have to remind them that when travelling in a group you sometimes need to do things that aren’t your first choice because someone else wants to do them.

The beach across the street from our house.

We decided to take the fast ferry from Praslin to Mahe instead of flying.  It goes about 70 km/hr which is about 3-4 times faster than the catamaran.  It only took an hour to make the crossing that took us at least 4 hours.  Once you leave port they allow you to sit on the front deck, which Matthew, Ethan and I enjoyed.  James came and left and Leah had no interest.

The ferry didn’t leave until 13:00 and the national park where there are Coco de Mer palms grow was on the way so we stopped for a guided tour through the rain forest.  These palms are unique to the Seychelles and the nuts can take twenty years to grow.  Our guide also pointed out many other different palms each with its own history and use.  It was a nice walk and we learned a few things including a bit of the Seychelles history.

The second place we stayed was called Bambous River Lodge and it was new and lovely with a great view, a stream nearby and a pool which the kids loved.  Our first night there was a carnival or something so we walked down to see it.  In the end, it took about an hour to find it because we walked along the beach instead of the road.  Once we found it and had some food it was great.  The boys had sausages on a stick and we had burgers, curry rice and a local rum concoction.  We walked back in the dark, there are no street lights or sidewalks so we had to be mindful of the cars as they passed – fatigue was setting in so it was a bit of a challenge getting back but we made it.

The next few days we went to a beach close by, drove all over the island checking it out for snorkel spots and visiting the local rum distillery.  The snorkeling even right off the shore was great.  We even saw a lion fish!  I saw a dead shark on a hook in what was a fishing boat anchorage.  I think we all would have liked to go snorkeling in more spots then we did but things always seemed to conspire against us.

Dad don’t take a picture!

Streams must be dammed!  We let the water loose once realized there were fish downstream being left high and dry.

Eden Island and marina directly behind us. The island behind Richard’s head is where we got the rope stuck in the propeller.

The local rum distillery is called Takamaka and is blended on a farm, La Plaine St André, that was formerly a spice plantation dating back to the 1700s.  The Takamaka distillery is a public-private partnership where the business agrees to maintain the national heritage site while they are using it.  The rum is made in the former stable from a blend of local cane aged in oak barrels and wholesale rum.  The tour we took focuses on the history of the island and the site.  The modern side of the business where the blending, flavoring and bottling happens is hidden away behind some trees which maybe is a good thing from a tourist perspective.  I would have liked to see the modern side and compare to the other breweries and distilleries we have been too.  At the end of the tour is a rum tasting – which was okay.  Leah’s favorite was the coconut rum, the kids didn’t really have a favorite and I liked the dark stuff – though at the end the darkest was a bit too harsh for me.

We enjoyed our time in the Seychelles, it was close, the boat was great, the sailing good (more research for anchorages required), the people friendly and the islands interesting.